ABSTRACT
Objectives: Despite the epidemiological importance of social vulnerabilities in compliance with preventive measures, little is known about the disproportional nature of preventive behaviors in crisis-affected populations. We examined adherence to COVID-19 preventive behaviors, focusing on social distancing measures in the conflict-affected regions in eastern Ukraine. Methods: From a multisectoral needs assessment conducted in 2020 using a household interview of a stratified simple random sample, we included 1,617 rural and urban households located in the government-controlled area. We performed multivariable binary logistic regression analysis with latent class analysis (LCA) to identify unmeasured patterns of classification of preventive measures using data from a cross-sectional survey. Results: The conflict-affected populations showed difficulty in complying with COVID-19 preventive measures due to losses of housing, partners, and access to food resources due to conflicts. Among the various preventive measures, wearing a face mask (88.1%) and washing hands more regularly (71.4%) were the most frequently reported. Compliance with social distancing was significantly lower in those who experienced the direct impacts of conflicts indicated by damaged accommodation or being widowed. Three different groups who showed distinctive patterns of employing COVID-19 preventive measures were identified via the LCA model, which were "highly complying group", "moderately complying group", and "face masks only group". The group membership was associated with a respondent's poverty status. Conclusion: The findings show the difficulty in compliance with COVID-19 preventive measures among conflict-affected populations indicating secondary impacts of the conflicts on preventive health behaviors. To mitigate the health impacts of conflicts, immediate attention is needed to address barriers to COVID-19 preventive measures among conflict-affected populations in Ukraine. This study suggests the need for public health strategies to improve preventive health behaviors in conflict-affected populations under pandemics or large-scale outbreaks.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Humans , COVID-19/epidemiology , COVID-19/prevention & control , SARS-CoV-2 , Ukraine , Cross-Sectional Studies , Pandemics/prevention & controlABSTRACT
As an international emergency medical aid organization Doctors without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières) helps people who are in need due to armed conflicts, natural disasters or epidemics. A surgeon shares his personal experiences in international aid work and thus provides an insight into the beautiful as well as challenging aspects of project work.
ABSTRACT
HIV/AIDS is one of the commonest reasons for admission of youths in Gulu Hospital. There are no specific studies that have been carried out to determine the prevalence of HIV/AIDS among the youths in this post-conflict region. This study aimed to describe the characteristics of HIV positive youths attending care in Gulu Hospital. A cross-sectional study was conducted among youths aged 13 to 24 years in the specific clinics of Gulu Hospital from January to December 2010 to identify and describe those youths that were HIV positive. A total sample size of 280 HIV positive patients was calculated using the Kish & Leslie formula. Ethical approval was obtained from Gulu Hospital Committee. Majority of respondents 174 (62%) who re-tested for HIV knew their HIV status and most tested between April and June 90 (32%). HIV infection was more prevalent among females 252 (90%), particularly those who were single 118 (47%). HIV infection is more common among female youths in the post-conflict northern Uganda.